Despite its name, vitamin D is not a vitamin like any other. It is actually a steroid hormone that we are expected to get primarily from our exposure to the sun. It is estimated that more than 95% of seniors are probably vitamin D deficient. Not only because they tend to spend less time outdoors, but also because they produce less vitamin D when exposed to the sun. . A person over 70 produces about 30% less vitamin D than a young person, for the same exposure time).
7 signs that may indicate a vitamin D deficiency
The only way to be sure you have a vitamin D deficiency is to have a blood test. However, there are also some signs and symptoms to look out for. If any of these apply to you, you may want to get your vitamin D levels checked as soon as possible.
You have dark skin
Dark-skinned people are more likely to be vitamin D deficient. Because when you have dark skin, it can take up to 10 times longer to be exposed to the sun to produce the same amount of vitamin D. vitamin D than a person with pale skin.
You feel depressed
Production of serotonin, the brain hormone associated with improved mood, increases with exposure to bright light and decreases if sun exposure decreases. Low vitamin D levels in depressive states.
You are 50 or older
As you age, your skin no longer makes as much vitamin D in response to sun exposure. Concomitantly, your kidneys become less efficient at converting vitamin D into the form that is used by your body. moreover, older adults tend to spend less time outdoors.
You are overweight or obese
Vitamin D is a hormone-like, fat-soluble vitamin, which means that body fat acts as a ‘collector’ by storing it. If you are overweight, or obese, you probably need more vitamin D than a thinner person. The same applies to people with high body weight due to their muscle mass.
You suffer from bone pain
Many people who visit their doctors for aches and pains, especially associated with fatigue, are sometimes misdiagnosed as having fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. Many of these symptoms are classic signs of vitamin D deficiency that causes osteomalacia, different from vitamin D deficiency that causes osteoporosis in adults. The result of vitamin D deficiency is that calcium is not introduced into the extracellular matrix of the skeleton. The consequences are throbbing bone pain.
Head sweating
One of the classic first signs of vitamin D deficiency is sweating from the head. In fact, doctors used to ask new moms if their newborns were sweating their heads for this exact reason. Excessive sweating in newborns due to neuromuscular irritability is still described as a common early symptom of vitamin D deficiency.
You suffer from intestinal disorders
Remember, vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means if you have a gastrointestinal disorder that affects your ability to absorb fat. You may also suffer from poor absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D. This includes conditions like Crohn’s disease, celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and inflammatory bowel disease. .
